Automatic coupling for railway-carriages.



No. 728,184. PATENTED MAY 12, 1903. J. WILLISON. I AUTOMATIC COUPLING FOR RAILWAY GARRIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1901.

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NITED TATES Patented May 12, 1903.

JOHN WILLISON, OF DERBY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MAL- LEABLE OASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION on OHIO. V

AUTOMATIC COUPLlNGyFOR RAlLWAY-CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Pat ent'No. 728,184, dated May 12, 1903. Application filed August 27,19 1, SerialNoJBAQl. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WILLISON, acitii July 4, 1901, No. 13,650,) of which the follow-i 1o ing is a specification.

way-carriagesin sucha manner that the 001 p ling-head can be held in certain positions while in the act of coupling,,but.on being coupled is automatically released, so that it can swing to either side as the carriages run on curves, but is always urged by afspri-ng back to its central position, as I shall describe, referring to the accompanying draw- I p 1 from the notch g, leaving the coupler-head ings.

Figure 1 is a provided with the ordinary draw-hook and its 5 according to my invention. partly sectional, of the automatic coupler and its guides; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

a stands in a central position, being urged to that position by a spring, as will presently be described, and in that position it becomes antomatically coupled with the coupler-head of another carriage when it happens that the carriages stand upon a straight part of the track. If, however, the carriages that are to be coupled happen to stand on a curved part of the track, the coupler-head is moved by My invention relates to the construction and mounting of automatic couplings forrail longitudinal section of the front part of the frame of a railway-carriageg spring and also with an automatic coupleri Fig. 2 is a plan,

In the hollow shank of the coupling-head a I suspend from the top a pawl b, the upper. part of which is embraced by an oblique hooked rods worked by hand to the one side or the other of the central position until the pawl 1) drops into the one or the other of the notches g and holds the coupler-head in the position to which it has been moved until coupling is eifected, and then the pawl is disengaged in. the following manner: When the knuckle e isturned outward inthe position ready for coupling, its tailfd isin such a position thatj the arm 0 .drop'stothe position shown in dotted lines'in-Figg2, allowing the pawl b to enter the one or the other of the notches g, and thus to keepthe coupler-head a in a position to the one side or the other of the center line, as above described. pWhen coupling takes place, theknuckle e is pushed back,vso that it andits tail (1 takethe position shown in Fig. '1. Thev tail cl incoming to this position raises the front end of the arm c,v and the pawl' bH-is thus disengaged free to swing to the central position or to right or left. Thesidesofthe coupler-shank have two rounded parts It, bearing on the rear parts of the socketf, either of which can act as a fulcrum for thelshank when the head is moved out of center, Between the sides of the yoke h of the coupler-shank are arranged the draw-springs TL WIIICh serve also as buffer-springs when the coupler-head is forced rearward. From the plate j, against which the front of the spring t' bears, a central bolt It extends backward through a spring and has on its rear end a nut and Washer, against which the rear end of the spring Z bears. The front end of the spring Z bears on the bottoms of two half-sockets m at the front ends of oblique bars at, the rear ends 0 of which can slide loosely in races formed in the ends of a cross-piece p, which is clamped on two longitudinal bolts q, forming part of the underframe of the carriage. Each of the bars n has a" rounded hollow, which can work as on a fulcrum on a rounded projection r of a piece fixed "to the rear end of the coupler-shank. When the couplerhead is moved to either side, so that its shank takes an oblique position, the fulcra '1" cause the bars 72 and sockets m to take such a position as to compress the spring Z, so that when the coupler-head is relieved from the force which deflected it the spring Z, reacting on the sockets m and fulcra r, urge the coupler-shank to resume its central position. The rear follower cc of the springs 41 is arranged to act on the long arm of a vertical curved lever s, the short arm of which acts on the shank of the ordinary draw-bar t, which may have draw-springs of blade form, as shown at u, or might have helical draw-springs, such as The effect of this arrangement is that when the coupler-head a is pushed rearward by buffing action it not only compresses the spring 1;, but also pushes it backward, forcing back the lower end of the lever s, so that its upper end moves forward the draw-bar t, compressing the draw-spring it. Thus when the coupler acts as a bufier it has a longer stroke subject to spring action than if it acted only on the coupler draw-spring i. As I have in former specifications described this method of increasing the buffer-stroke of an automatic coupler by the use of two side levers like 3, I make no claim to this in the present case.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means I know of carryin g the same into practical effect, I claim 1. In combination with an automatic coupler for railway-carriages a pawl adapted to engage in notches of the socket in which the coupler-shank can move and an arm embracing the pawl and resting on the tail of the coupler-knuckle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the shank of an automatic coupler for railway-carriages,a spring and a pair of bars having half-sockets against which the spring abuts, free guides for the bars, and fulcra for them projecting from the rear end of the coupler-shank, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a laterally-movable draw-bar, of a latch adapted to hold it in laterally-deflected position, and means actuated by the motion of the parts in coupling and adapted to release said latch; substantially as described.

4:. The combination with a laterally-movable draw-bar, of a latch adapted to hold it in laterally-deflected position, and means actuated by the motion of the parts in coupling and adapted to release said latch; and a centering-spring for the draw-bar; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a laterally-movable draw-bar, of a latch adapted to hold it in laterally-deflected position, a knuckle, and

an arm adapted to be released by the knuckle when in closed position and to disengage said latch; substantially as described.

6. In combination with the shank and yoke of a coupler for railway-carriages, a centering-spring bearing at the rear of the yoke and adapted to hold the coupler yieldingly in central position; substantially as described.

7. In combination with the shank and yoke of a coupler for railway-carriages, levers extending to the frame of the car, and spring mechanism coacting with the levers and adapted to hold the coupler yieldin'gly in central position; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WILLISON.

Witnesses:

EDWARD GARDNER, FRED. DUNN. 

